Burlington Jct council gives to parks

At the June 12 Burlington Jct. City Council meeting, it was approved to allocate $5,000 to the BJ Baseball Field Playground Committee to help go towards new playground equipment and $2,234.07 to help with the upkeep of Volunteer Park.

A contract with Jason Mercer to have the sewer licensing for the city was also approved in the amount of $750 monthly and an hourly charge for labor of $25.

The city will also retain Clevenger and Associates, CPA, PC, Parkville for the yearly audit.

City staff is also coming up with a checklist at the water plant which needs attention that will be prioritized. Foreman Troy Hanes is going to locate a steel/metal shipping container to hold all supplies in at the water plant, and also look for manholes with covers. Council Member Martha Greeley was asked to help with finding grants for the water plant repairs. Hanes also stated that the valve at the school needs repair and the school officials need to be made aware of it. During the foreman report, Hanes also stated that the water plant is running well, and samples have been sent in and were good. Discussion was held on moving all water meters to outside of homes or basements for easier readings and repairs.

The bank accounts have all been reconciled for the month of May.

The council then went into closed session for the purpose of personnel. Outside of closed session, it was approved to hire Jo Anna Marriott as city manager at $20 an hour until she receives her required licenses for drinking water testing. When that is obtained, it was agreed that her wage be bumped up to $25 an hour. Greeley voted no on the motion.  It was also approved to hire Hanes as maintenance technician at $18 an hour, and to hire Justin Shimak as a maintenance technician at $15 an hour.

The board also held a special meeting on June 5, where the 2023/24 budget was approved with a few changes to the draft version. The interconnect budget of $22,000 was removed, and uniforms and office were added to the main equipment, tools and parts operating budget amount totalling $44,000.